Sergey Kislyak
Sergey Kislyak | |
---|---|
Сергей Кисляк | |
Russian Ambassador to Belgium | |
In office 25 February 1998 – 28 May 2003 | |
President | Boris Yeltsin |
Preceded by | Vitaly Churkin |
Succeeded by | Vadim Lukov |
Personal details | |
Born | Sergey Ivanovich Kislyak Сергей Иванович Кисляк 7 September 1950 Moscow Engineering Physics Institute |
Sergey Ivanovich Kislyak (Russian: Серге́й Ива́нович Кисля́к, IPA:
Dubbed "the diplomat's diplomat" by
After nearly a decade in the U.S., Kislyak returned to Moscow in July 2017 and was formally relieved of his duties in August,[1] succeeded by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Anatoly Antonov.[9][10]
Early life
Kislyak was born in
Diplomatic career
Kislyak joined the diplomatic service in 1977, working with the
From 1989 to 1991, Kislyak was the deputy director of the Department of International Organisations at the
In 1998, Kislyak was the
Ambassador to the United States
Kislyak became the
For many years, Kislyak held a low profile in the press but socialized in Washington, D.C. diplomatic circles, known for his lavish parties at the Russian compound at Pioneer Point, Maryland.[6] Kislyak has been called an experienced and polished diplomat who is friendly but aggressive in promoting Russian interests.[11] The New York Times called Kislyak "the most prominent, if politically radioactive, ambassador in Washington." According to a Times profile in March 2017, "He has interacted with American officials for decades and been a fixture on the Washington scene for the past nine years, jowly and cordial with an easy smile and fluent if accented English, yet a pugnacity in advocating Russia's assertive policies."[17] According to a profile in Politico, people who know Kislyak describe the ambassador "as intelligent but an unyielding advocate for the Kremlin line."[6]
As the veteran ambassador to the United States, Kislyak became the subject of intense scrutiny and media coverage in 2017 in the wake of allegations that
On 10 May 2017 immediately after meeting with
In the fall of 2016, replacements for Kislyak were being considered as it was planned for him to end his lengthy tenure in D.C. In May 2017, General
Kislyak returned to Moscow at the end of July 2017.[28] On 21 August 2017, Putin formally released Kislyak from his duties as ambassador by decree of the President of Russia.[1]
2016 US Presidential election controversy
Kislyak has emerged as a central figure in the scandal involving
In July 2016, Kislyak held a "diplomacy conference" at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, during which his interactions with Trump officials became the subject of denial and controversy. In a speech in October 2016 in Detroit, Kislyak denied ever meeting with anyone involved in the Trump campaign. However, it later emerged that J. D. Gordon and Carter Page had spoken with Kislyak at the RNC. Kislyak did not attend the 2016 Democratic National Convention.[29][30]
In a November 2016 speech at Stanford University, Kislyak denied that Russia had interfered in the 2016 U.S. elections.[31] In the same speech, Kisylak accused the United States of waging a "huge propaganda campaign against Russia" and stated that the American-Russian relationship was currently at "the worst point in our relations after the end of the Cold War. You've re-entered a policy of containing Russia … You've tried to contain Russia through economic pressure and through sanctions."[6]
On 29 December 2016, the same day that the United States announced new sanctions against Russia for interfering with the election, Kislyak and then-U.S. National Security Advisor designate Michael Flynn had multiple telephone conversations and exchanged text messages.[32] The phone calls are the subject of an investigation by U.S. counterintelligence agents. White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer stated in early January 2017 that the calls related to arranging a conversation between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.[32] However, Kislyak's calls were monitored under standard foreign intelligence practice, and it was revealed that Flynn and Kislyak had discussed sanctions.[33][34] On 13 February 2017, Flynn was forced to resign from his position as National Security Advisor over his communication with Kislyak.[35]
On 1 March 2017, The Washington Post reported that Attorney General Jeff Sessions had spoken twice to Ambassador Kislyak, once in July 2016 and once in September 2016, during Sessions' tenure as US senator on the Senate Armed Services Committee. During Sessions' Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing on 10 January 2017, Sessions was questioned under oath about "possible contacts between members of President Trump's campaign and representatives of Moscow" and expressed no knowledge of such contact.[36] On 2 March, The New York Times later reported that Kislyak met with Flynn and Kushner in December 2016, which the White House said was to establish a diplomatic line of communication with the Trump administration.[37] That same day, Sessions agreed to recuse himself from any involvement with the federal investigation into Russian election interference.[29]
On 26 May 2017, The Washington Post reported that U.S. intelligence officials had, in the course of monitoring Kislyak in December, overheard him discussing a request from Jared Kushner to establish a secret, secure channel to communicate with the Kremlin that would not be monitored by U.S. intelligence. Kislyak was reporting Kushner's request to use "diplomatic facilities in the United States" when it was intercepted by U.S. intelligence. According to the report, "Kislyak reportedly was taken aback by the suggestion of allowing an American to use Russian communications gear at its embassy or consulate — a proposal that would have carried security risks for Moscow as well as the Trump team." The Washington Post said that Russian officials occasionally leak "false information into communication streams it suspects are monitored as a way of sowing misinformation and confusion among U.S. analysts," but that U.S. officials stated it was unclear what Kislyak would have gained by falsely reporting such an encounter at a time when the Kremlin was envisioning improved diplomatic relations under the incoming Trump administration.[38] The New York Times reported that it had confirmed Kislyak's report with three officials.[39]
Allegations of espionage
Kislyak's connection to
German-American author and former KGB spy Jack Barsky, however, evaluated Kislyak as a "very experienced operative" and told CNN that when Kislyak was sent to the United States in the early 1980s as a low-level diplomat, it is certain he would have been either a KGB agent or reporting directly to the KGB.[42] James Clapper, former U.S. Director of National Intelligence, stated that Kislyak "oversees a very aggressive intelligence operation in this country ... and so to suggest that he is somehow separate or oblivious to that is a bit much".[43]
According to
Political career
On 21 August 2017, the same day Kislyak's term as Russian Ambassador to the United States ended, he announced his plans to enter politics as a candidate for the Federation Council of Russia representing the Republic of Mordovia, one of Russia's federal subjects. He visited Mordovia and met with Vladimir Volkov, the interim Head of the Republic of Mordovia, and toured venues under construction for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The election was scheduled for 10 September. The two other candidates were Mikhail Sezganov, chief federal inspector for Mordovia, and Pyotr Tultayev, mayor of Saransk, the republic's capital.[10]
After winning the election, Vladimir Volkov officially announced that he would appoint Sergey Kislyak, the new Senator from Mordovia.[45]
Sanctions
Sanctioned by the
See also
- Mueller Report
- Foreign electoral intervention
- Russia–United States relations
- Timeline of Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections
- Timeline of Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections (July 2016 – election day)
- Timeline of post-election transition following Russian interference in the 2016 United States elections
- Timeline of investigations into Trump and Russia (January–June 2017)
- Timeline of investigations into Trump and Russia (July–December 2017)
- Timeline of investigations into Trump and Russia (January–June 2018)
- Timeline of investigations into Trump and Russia (July–December 2018)
- Timeline of investigations into Trump and Russia (2019–2020)
References
- ^ a b c Указ Президента Российской Федерации от 21.08.2017 № 394 [Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of 21 October 2017 No. 394] (in Russian). Президент России. 21 August 2017. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
Освободить Кисляка Сергея Ивановича от обязанностей Чрезвычайного и Полномочного Посла Российской Федерации в Соединенных Штатах Америки и Постоянного наблюдателя Российской Федерации при Организации американских государств в Вашингтоне, Соединенные Штаты Америки, по совместительству. (To release Sergey Ivanovich Kislyak from the duties as the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the United States of America and as the Permanent Observer of the Russian Federation of the Organization of American States, concurrently, in Washington, United States of America.)
- ^ Johnson, Alex (March 2, 2017). "Meet Sergey Kislyak, the Shadowy Apparatchik at the Center of Trump's Russia Crisis". NBC News.
All the Russian Foreign Ministry will say about Kislyak (pronounced KEESS-lee-ack) is that he is married with a daughter, that he was trained as an engineer and that he speaks French and English.
- ^ Politov, Yuriy (2017-09-11). "Former Ambassador Sergei Kislyak will become a senator from Mordovia". Rossiyskaya Gazeta. Retrieved 2017-11-04.
- ^ "Former Russian Ambassador Kislyak Joins Parliament". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 2017-09-27. Retrieved 2017-11-04.
- ^ a b Lister, Tom (2 March 2017). "Who is Sergey Kislyak, the Russian ambassador to the United States?". CNN.
- ^ a b c d Crowley, Michael (March 2, 2017). "Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak is Washington's most dangerous diplomat". Politico. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
- ^ "The Latest: FBI examines Kushner meetings with Russians". Associated Press. 25 May 2017. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
- ^ a b Miller, Greg; Jaffe, Greg (15 May 2017). "Trump revealed highly classified information to Russian foreign minister and ambassador". The Washington Post. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
- ^ "Russia names replacement for Sergei Kislyak as envoy in Washington". Reuters. 21 August 2017. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
- ^ a b "Кисляк обещает быть полезным Мордовии, если станет сенатором от региона". РИА Новости (in Russian). 22 August 2017. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
- ^ a b "Российский посол Кисляк знает в Вашингтоне почти всех". BBC Russian. 3 March 2017. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
- ^ "Meet the Russian ambassador at the center of the Trump-Russia controversy". March 2, 2017.
- ^ "A Glimpse of the Russian Soul: Sergey Kislyak". Yale Daily News. February 6, 2015.
- The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
- ^ UPI. 29 July 2008. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
- Presidential Press and Information Office. Archived from the originalon 2008-08-13. Retrieved 2008-10-16.
- ^ Macfarquhar, Neil; Baker, Peter (2 March 2017). "Sergey Kislyak, Russian Envoy, Cultivated Powerful Network in U.S." The New York Times. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
- ^ Singman, Brooke; Spunt, David (May 13, 2020). "'unmask' Flynn released: Biden, Comey, Obama chief of staff among them". Fox News. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
- ^ Singman, Brooke (May 29, 2020). "Flynn-Kislyak call transcripts released, revealing fateful talks over Russia sanctions". Fox News. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
- ^ Fox News staff (May 29, 2020). "READ: Flynn, Kislyak transcripts of conversations during Trump transition". Fox News. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
- ^ Perez, Matt (May 29, 2020). "Michael Flynn Discussed Sanctions With Russian Ambassador, Declassified Transcripts Confirm". Forbes. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
- ^ Associated Press staff (May 29, 2020). "Michael Flynn transcripts show he discussed sanctions with Russian envoy. Details of phone conversations released by Senate Republicans. Flynn asked ambassador to be ‘even-keeled’ in response". The Guardian via Associated Press. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
- ^ "The Russian ambassador who has the ear of Trump's key people". ABC News. 3 March 2017. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
- ^ Vitkovskaya, Julie; Erickson, Amanda (10 May 2017). "The strange Oval Office meeting between Trump, Lavrov and Kislyak". The Washington Post. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
- ^ Ivanov, Maxim; Chernenko, Yelena (5 May 2017). "Анатолий Антонов ждет парламентского агремана". Kommersant. p. 7. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
- ^ "Russia Confirms 'Bull-Terrier' Ambassador to Washington". The Moscow Times. 18 May 2017. Retrieved 29 May 2017.
- Gazeta.ru(in Russian). 18 May 2017. Retrieved 29 May 2017.
- ^ "Russian envoy, at heart of U.S. investigations, ends tenure in Washington". Reuters. Reuters. 22 July 2017. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
- ^ a b Reilly, Steve (2 March 2017). "Exclusive: Two other Trump advisers also spoke with Russian envoy during GOP convention". USA Today. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
- ^ Kaczynski, Andrew (9 March 2017). "Russian ambassador denied meeting with Trump or campaign officials in October speech". CNN. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
- ^ ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
- ^ Wall Street Journal.
- ^ Miller, Greg; Entous, Adam; Nakashima, Ellen (9 February 2017). "National security adviser Flynn discussed sanctions with Russian ambassador, despite denials, officials say". The Washington Post. Retrieved 29 May 2017.
- ^ "Flynn in 'Hot Seat' Over Discussing Sanctions With Russians". NBC News. 13 February 2017. Retrieved 29 May 2017.
- ^ Miller, Greg; Rucker, Philip (14 February 2017). "Michael Flynn resigns as national security adviser". The Washington Post. Retrieved 29 May 2017.
- ^ "Sessions met with Russian envoy twice last year, encounters he later did not disclose". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2017-03-02.
- )
- ^ Nakashima, Ellen; Entous, Adam; Miller, Greg (26 May 2017). "Russian ambassador told Moscow that Kushner wanted secret communications channel with Kremlin". The Washington Post. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
Ambassador Sergey Kislyak reported to his superiors in Moscow that Kushner, son-in-law and confidant to then-President-elect Trump, made the proposal during a meeting on Dec. 1 or 2 at Trump Tower, according to intercepts of Russian communications that were reviewed by U.S. officials. Kislyak said Kushner suggested using Russian diplomatic facilities in the United States for the communications.
- ^ Haberman, Maggie; Mazzetti, Mark; Apuzzo, Matt (26 May 2017). "Kushner Is Said to Have Discussed a Secret Channel to Talk to Russia". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 May 2017.
- ^ Reevell, Patrick (2 March 2017). "Who is the Russian ambassador who spoke with Jeff Sessions?". ABC News. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
- ^ Makhmutov, Roman (22 June 2017). "Is Russia's ambassador a spy or diplomat? Meet Sergey Kislyak, the most radioactive man in Washington". Newsweek.
- ^ Preza, Elizabeth (27 May 2017). "'Mind-boggling': Ex-KGB spy aghast over reports 'naive' Kushner asked Russian envoy for backchannel l". Raw Story. Retrieved 28 May 2017.
- ^ Hains, Tim (28 May 2017). "Chuck Todd to James Clapper: Is Sergey Kislyak A KGB Agent?". Real Clear Politics. Retrieved 29 May 2017.
- ^ "Missing From Comey's Fireworks: Trump-Russia Collusion". Bloomberg. 9 June 2017.
- ^ Бывший посол Сергей Кисляк станет сенатором от Мордовии
- ^ "CONSOLIDATED LIST OF FINANCIAL SANCTIONS TARGETS IN THE UK" (PDF). Retrieved 16 April 2023.